Great expectations and optimism for FITUR 2023
IFEMA MADRID is convening the worldwide tourism industry, from the 18 to 22 January 2023, to one of the major editions of the International Tourism Fair, FITUR 2023. Increased tourism activity worldwide, as well as the significant increase recorded in Spain this year, place the tourism industry on the path to recovery and open a scenario for celebrating very positive expectations.
People’s desire to get back to travelling, international movements and business, along with the backing for the fair by government agencies and the entire tourism industry value chain, were all key in the resilience shown in the last two editions of FITUR, the only worldwide event that was held in person, allowing the necessary co-existence of fair and business activity, within the context of a health crisis.
The marketing process for FITUR 2023 has just begun, inviting participation by countries and destinations, hotel chains, agencies and tour operators, technological companies, suppliers, transportation and institutions from around the world, in an edition that will focus on strengthening this emerging reactivation, as well as on generating business and opportunities.
FITUR, one of the world’s leading international tourism fairs and the main event in its role as a hub with Latin America, is already working on a top-notch global revitalisation event, reaffirming its role as the main business platform for the tourism industry. It will bring together the best tools and an entire offer aimed at showing professionals the latest trends and solutions, with special focus on sustainability and technological innovation.
The FITUR 2023 offer will also be strongly influenced by specialisation, represented throughout the various monographic sections aimed at creating new tourism networks through opportunities provided by technological progress, digitalisation and the various business niches that offer their potential regarding travel and tourism.
The FITUR KNOW HOW & EXPORT section, organised in collaboration with SEGITTUR and ICEX, is aimed at promoting internationalisation and tourism awareness of our companies, and issues such as access to new foreign markets, smart tourism destinations, or export of tourism products and services will be discussed. FITURTECHY, organised in collaboration with ITH, is the area where cutting-edge issues will be cross-sectionally discussed, such as big data, artificial intelligence and digitalisation. Four forums will also be held on technology and future; technology and business; technology and destination, and technology and sustainability. FITUR TALENT will focus on people, on their talent, skills and professional training as the key to the future profitability of the tourism industry; FITUR SCREEN, organised in collaboration with the Spain Film Commission -SFC, will focus on linking two powerful Spanish industries: tourism and audiovisuals; FITUR LGBT + will focus on diversity in the various destinations and the LGBT segment, one of the most unseasonal tourism markets; FITUR CRUISES, the newest section, will be dedicated to the cruise industry and cruise passengers; FITUR MICE will again be the meeting point for offer and demand in meetings, incentives and conference tourism, and the FITUR NEXT observatory, an initiative to promote good tourism practises regarding sustainability, will dedicate its challenge this year to how tourism can contribute to regenerating natural areas.
FITUR VIP BUYERS will provide the chance to hold highly-efficient business meetings, with meeting agendas aimed at identifying needs, offering solutions and generating commercial agreements. There will also be areas dedicated to the role of women in the tourism industry, based on leadership and sustainability concepts, at FITUR WOMAN, organised in collaboration with WOMEN LEADING TOURISM – WLT; healthcare tourism at FITUR HEALTH, in collaboration with the Spanish healthcare tourism cluster Spaincares; language-learning tourism, at FITUR LINGUA, in collaboration with the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish for Foreigners Schools, FEDELE, and the TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY area will showcase technological proposals at the service of tourism companies.
FITUR will also continue with its hybrid format, complementing in-person participation by destinations and companies with the digital platform FITUR LIVEConnect, which provides added value for professionals and expands networking opportunities between exhibitors and visitors.
